Meeting with Cardiologists

Ted and I met with several cardiologists this morning. We went over the anatomy of the heart and discussed the various issues seen on the echocardiogram from Verity’s first day of life. 

They explained several conditions involving various connections between the arteries and veins immediately outside the heart (one of which is a PDA, patent ductus artenosus, say that five times fast!), all or most of which should resolve.  If by chance they don’t resolve on their own, these minor defects, while not life-threatening, could certainly be fixed if we choose to intervene with surgery on the more concerning issue (in other words, if they are doing surgery anyway, why not go ahead and fix the minor issues as well?). 

The biggest problem with Verity’s heart are the three VSDs: ventricle septal defects. Two are small and are toward the bottom (“meaty”) part of the heart and are not a major cause for concern; VSDs of this nature often resolve on their own, and if they don’t, the size and location are not prohibitive.  The most concerning VSD is considered “large” and will begin to affect the relative pressures between the right and left sides, which are important to the overall flow of blood to the body and lungs. If the pressure is higher in the body, oxygenated blood spills over and gets sent to the lungs, and less saturated blood is all that’s available to the rest of the body. Right now, the blood vessels in her lungs are constricted (as is normal for a newborn recently out of the womb), which keeps the pressure on that side higher, which allows the damaged heart to more closely mimic a normal/healthy heart.  This is a good thing—it means correcting the problem can wait until she’s bigger and can better withstand surgery. We also talked about the fact that the valves to Verity’s heart are thicker than normal, which is not causing any problems now, but bears monitoring as there is a possibility that the thickened valves could become stiffer over time, which would make her heart work harder to get blood in and out.

Three options were presented to us:

1. We could do nothing, possibly monitoring her but allowing her body to function as best as it can on its own, knowing that some of the problems might heal on their own over time (although they might not). As Verity’s heart grows, the smaller holes are certainly more likely to close up on their own than the larger VSD; however, we could choose to avoid the risks associated with surgery altogether in favor of minimally intervening and creating as high quality life as possible without undergoing major surgery.

2. A less invasive treatment option, meaning an option that would not require them to stop her heart and go inside, would involve putting a band around one of the pulmonary blood vessels immediately outside the heart.  This has the effect of artificially raising the blood pressure in the lungs, which keeps her functionality where it is right now with her lungs still operating at higher pressure.  The constriction band would not grow with her, however, and it would need to be replaced in a matter of months.

3. Finally, full surgical repair, which involves stopping her heart and putting her on a heart/lung machine for the duration of the procedure.  This option would allow the surgeons to go in and fully repair the defect(s) in the inner wall of her heart.  The surgery is more risky and more intrusive but offers the possibility of being “one and done” if the repair is successful. 

Before we go further, I will note that, based on the information we received today, we feel the right thing to do is whatever we would choose for a child without Trisomy 18, and that is the full surgical repair. Why bother with option two, which really is only a temporary fix? Verity shows good health overall—we feel she deserves the opportunity to buy more than just a couple months’ worth of time. And we would rather give her the chance to have an extended life span rather than deny her the opportunity simply because of her T18 diagnosis; the risks of surgery, therefore, are rather to be taken than making a decision (i.e. doing nothing) that will almost certainly shorten her life. God will direct the outcome of the surgery, and we trust His sovereign plan.

With that said, it was of interest that Verity’s case will be discussed Monday at the weekly gathering of the full team of cardiologists from this area. This is a time when all the experts evaluate a given situation, discuss all kinds of angles and viewpoints, and collectively come up with a “recommendation.” We of course are not obligated to follow that recommendation; however, with so many minds mulling over all the facts, there may well be other considerations that we have not heard about with only a few people looking at the data. To give the fullest picture, a follow-up echocardiogram was performed this afternoon (which I got to watch—fascinating technology!). This will clearly show whether those minor flaws seen at birth have begun to resolve yet or not and will give a full and current picture of her heart for the doctors.

Meanwhile, we have a list of things to watch for as Verity grows, and the goal is to get her as big and healthy as possible before doing the surgery. If her growth slows, for example, we will need to get surgery scheduled sooner rather than later. The biggest question for us is whether we should do it before we make our big move to Colorado this summer (thank you, Air Force, for sending us closer to family!) or whether we will wait and do it after we get settled there. The change in elevation may be a consideration, but we will be prayerfully waiting for the Lord’s direction and watching Verity herself for indicators as to what will be best for her.

Life With Verity: Days 1 - 9

Daily summaries that I've been posting on Facebook...

February 28

Verity Irene is here!!! She's really, truly here!!! Wow, things moved quickly after we had a scare; she was transverse for awhile but finally turned and emerged with some help from a bit of pitocin. She is with her dad and big sis plus our photographer in the NICU on oxygen but doc says she's looking good overall. I'm eagerly awaiting her assessment and the wearing off of my epidural so I can join the crew. I have no specific stats, but it was about 4:10am and as Kenna predicted, she has dark hair. ❤ Praising God I got some precious moments with Verity before her heart rate dropped and they took her from me. I am confident she is in loving, capable hands--God Almighty's, first and foremost, and the wonderful, caring team our Heavenly Father assembled in this time and in this place. Whatever happens in the hours and days to come...I know Jesus has been with us every inch of this journey and will never leave us.

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Day 2 (March 1) 

All positive trends in the NICU! Feedings increased and after a few more the plan is to stop IV feedings and solely use tube (gavage) feedings. They are encouraging me to try nursing at that point, since Verity seems able and willing to suck as evidenced by her responses to the "Momsicles" we have given her. Lots of good cuddle time today with Mom, Dad, Grandma J, and big sisters Charis and Kenna. The rest of the crew will visit tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers!

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Day 3 (March 2)
Mommy is fighting a migraine today and is extra tired, so I'm taking over the NICU update!

My big brothers and sisters came this morning to hold me and get photos taken with me. The nurses kept talking about how amazing my siblings are, and I have to agree--I am one blessed little girl to have such a crew to love and take care of me. I can't wait for everyone to see the pictures, especially the ones of me wearing my little gown from Grandma J while lying on the special blanket my big sister Charis made for me.

All that excitement really wore me out, so I've been taking it easy today. I got some great cuddle time with my Daddy, which was a blessing since he has been running hither and yon and hadn't had as much time to hold me as my mommy. So we had some heart-to-heart time while Mommy moved from her hospital room into mine. I know the fold-out cot won't be as comfortable for her at night, but she's happy she can be with me around the clock.

Mommy got a nap after Daddy left in the afternoon, and then she tried nursing me. I was extra sleepy from all the excitement but happy to nuzzle and taste some milk. I'm getting my food through a tube in my nose, but maybe after awhile I'll get the hang of the nursing thing. Last night's weight check had me at 4 lbs, 14 oz, so they have increased my feedings to 35ml (up from 30). Mommy says pumping is going pretty well and hopes that before long we won't be using formula at all to supplement.

I still have oxygen flowing through a nasal cannula, but I heard the nurse practitioner say that we may not need it for too long. This would be amazing if it turns out that I don't! Most T18 babies need lots of help breathing, especially in early days and months.

All in all, not much has changed over the course of the day, but I am moving to a crib if my vitals look good at the 8pm assessment. This will make it easier for Mommy to pick me up and take care of me, even if I still have quite a few cords to deal with.

Oh, I'm supposed to tell you that I am peeing and pooping just great. In fact, you can ask my daddy about the huge explosion I gave him to celebrate his first Verity diaper change!

Tomorrow Mommy will meet with the genetic doctor to get more details about my heart conditions. She prefers to wait to share more information about that until after she has a better understanding of how my heart looks right now. I know she and Daddy are pretty sad to learn that I do have some heart problems, but I know they understand that God is in control and had a purpose for delaying that information.

Guess what! Mommy thinks I need my own Facebook page so that we can keep people updated more easily! What do you think??! If you like that idea, maybe you can give us some suggestions for what to name the page! We want to join other Trisomy families in sharing our adventures so that people can learn more and be encouraged.

I'm getting fussy now...all this updating is making me cranky. I want Mama to pay attention to me, so I'll quit for now. Sending love to all my adoring fans!! Thank you for your prayers!

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Day 5 (March 4)
Sorry we didn't do a day 4 update; there wasn't much to report as far as Verity's status, but in other news, yesterday she enjoyed a visit from the entire family plus had her first real bath (she was not impressed) and managed to let Mommy get a couple of stretches of decent sleep...which isn't saying much, since the previous night Mom was awake from midnight until 6am! :-O Let's just say Verity lets us know when she is not happy...

So the big news from today is that after lunch, they tried taking Verity off her oxygen because she was looking so good...and SHE'S STILL OFF!! It has been hours and she has had absolutely no issues whatsoever. In fact, I got a two-hour nap during this stint; wasn't sure I'd feel comfortable sleeping but obviously I was exhausted enough to crash, and when I woke to pump she was still as peaceful as could be. I am very encouraged...it's so nice to see her sweet little face!

Now the main thing is figuring out her feeds, assuming she continues to do well without additional oxygen support. She is still getting her feeds through a tube, primarily using my breastmilk with a little fortification. Though we've had some nursing attempts, she has not made any headway in this area, but I'm determined not to stress about it since I had no expectations going into all this.

And an addendum to today’s update:

Oh, my heart! Not only has Miss Verity been off oxygen all day, BUT ALSO she has regained some weight (up to 4lbs 14 oz from 4 lbs 9 oz last night) AND...drum roll, please...

She latched on and sucked during an attempted nursing session!! Granted, she only sucked a few times, but she did latch at least 3 separate times!!! Hope springs eternal. :-) God is good. He would still be good even if Verity weren't overcoming so many odds, but I am thankful that He is choosing to reveal His goodness in these particular matters!

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Day 6 (March 5)
What a day! Miss Verity had a slew of visitors, part of her adoring fan club who came to oooh and aaah and pray over her in person. Our pastors and their wives plus our weekly Life Group members came in two different groups, and it was such a blessing and encouragement to get to share Verity with them all and hear prayers spoken over her. Also, my dear friend Mimi drove three hours to surprise me for an overnight visit! The family (who already knew about this) prepared a guest room for her and I got to enjoy some time with her this evening and look forward to more girl talk tomorrow before she has to drive home!

As for Verity herself, the little diva had a very promising nursing session this afternoon, during which she latched, sucked, and swallowed multiple times. Granted, she slid off multiple times. But coming back on was her idea this time, and she didn't give up (nor did I, lol). Her nurses were perfect cheerleaders--you should have seen the excitement in our room, lol! They are all so proud of her, and so am I! The next two attempts were nothing at all like that, but we are still encouraged. If nothing else, I am wondering if we will at LEAST be able to bottle feed her? Something to chat with the doctor about tomorrow.

There are a couple of concerns, hopefully nothing too serious, but nonetheless things to stay on top of.

1. This evening we had a few incidents of Verity's O2 levels dipping, with sats in the 80s instead of the usual high 90s. This is the first time that has happened since she came off oxygen. One nurse posited that she may have had a bit of reflux the first time it happened; it dipped and then came back up when we lay her back down in her crib. Verity really hasn't had any spitting up/reflux issues before, but perhaps the extra milk during our nursing attempts on top of the tube feedings was too much?

2. Verity's left eye has been crusty all day, with more ooze appearing this evening. She was not thrilled about getting this checked out, but we are going to try some ointment. It's possible that it is somehow related to the tubing in her nostril, currently on the same side, but the tubing was due to change sides anyway with tonight's cares, so hopefully that will help.

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Day 7 (March 6)
Verity seems to be in a "sleep all day, party all night" mode. It's hard on Mom getting 5 and 10-minute snoozes over a sustained period of time! But that's what 2:00-8:00am looks like around here!

Nothing big today...we still continue to try breastfeeding when we can. I did talk to the lactation consultant about whether the volume of tube feedings is appropriate given the slower growth rate of our T18 babies, and we discussed with the nutritionist as well. We decided that really nothing needs to change at this point; but I was encouraged that they listened to my thoughts and validated them. Verity tolerates her feeds well and acts hungry beforehand. Though nursing is a hit or miss activity, we are taking it slowly and at least enjoy skin-to-skin time. (Ok, I enjoy it, and she tolerates a good portion of it, sometimes screaming instead of snuggling. Sigh. She's very opinionated!)

Slower day for visitors, which was just fine after a big day yesterday. Mimi and I got to spend morning through lunchtime together before she drove home, and I got a nap before a CFA dinner, which I enjoyed with Ted, his mom, Arden, Lucan, and Zaden. The little boys got their first turn actually holding Verity and were utterly delighted. It was so fun to spend more one-on-one time with them. I read books to them in the lounge while Arden and Grandma had some time with Verity, and then we gave her a bath before saying goodnight. This photo shows her clean, fluffy hair and exhausted look afterward, lol. All in all, a good day.

Tomorrow marks a week since her birth!!! ❤

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Day 8 (March 7)
Verity is one week old today! Some quick updates because Mama didn't get a nap today...

* Back up to birth weight! 5lbs, 3 oz

* Recreational nursing continues to go well. No rush...our little girl needs to conserve her energy!

* Doc's goal for the next 7 days: continue monitoring her oxygen sats. We want to be sure her heart isn't overloaded.

* Meeting with the cardiologist scheduled for Thursday morning.

* Verity has only had fortified Mama Milk the last couple of days, and my stash of pumped milk in the fridge is finally overtaking her daily intake (45ml every 3 hours). Woot! Goodbye, formula! Grandma Irene Keist made the astute observation that perhaps the formula wasn't settling as well with Verity's tummy, which could possibly account for her fussiness during her poops! That would be fantastic if we could have a non-fussy period tonight...we will see...

* Today's visitors: family = Ted, Charis, Arden, Kenna, Zaden, and Seanin. I enjoyed snuggling my chunky boy Seanin (whom I haven't seen in person since Friday) and reading tons and tons of books from the NICU book cart to him and Zaden. Friends = Mike & Debra Trunick, who brought some stinkin' cute outfits that I can't wait to see Verity wear! Grow, Verity, grow!

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Day 9 (March 8)
Verity has had a great day, really no updates for her though.

My day: Crazy full morning caring for Verity and FaceTime with my sweet teenage daughter; breakfast not until 10am. Found the hospital showers with the help of my NICU neighbor and sister in Christ, Sarah. Hospital Cafeteria lunch date with my hubby, our first one-on-one time with no kids/responsibilities since Verity arrived, followed by decent coffee & cornetti (but not even close to our Italian favorites). Awesome afternoon nap thanks to a friend holding Verity so I could sleep in peace. Quiet dinner on my own and skin-to-skin time with Verity. Visit with my neighbor to see how her babe is doing and share chocolate. Short nap before midnight pumping session.

Photos of Post-Birth Assessments & NICU

Verity's Birth Story in Photos

Special thanks to my sweet friend Melissa of Melissa Pennington Photography 

for sharing her artistic talents with our family as a blessing to us...

and to all those who share in the joy of Verity's birth.

Our Baby Will Be Different

After our T18 diagnosis, I wrote some text that I planned to read to our younger children to help them better understand and prepare for some things about Verity that would be different. I sent the text to a friend of ours, Adam Turner, who is a very gifted freelance artist to see if by chance he would be able to put together some sketches for me. He heartily agreed; however, he got very, very ill over the holidays with a severe virus that wiped him out for over a month. I didn't want to bother him, assuming he would have his own work piling up, and simply printed off my own pages and put together a little card stock booklet to read to my kiddos.

Well. The very day that Verity was born, a package arrived on our doorstep, quickly intercepted by our 16yo daughter who had received word from Adam that something was in the mail for us. Two mornings later, as we gathered our family together for a photo session, our daughter presented us with two copies (out of a total of 25) from this box that Adam ordered to be sent to us. It's my book!! I promptly burst into tears...good thing I hadn't put on my mascara for the day!

With the extra copies, I am so excited to be able to bless other families who are going through a similar journey to ours: finding themselves expecting a baby who will be "different" and trying to explain and prepare older siblings.

I offered to mail free copies while supplies lasted to families in the Trisomy Parent group, and the response has been so heartwarming. Almost all of our extra copies are spoken for, with a clamor for a "boy version" of the book--ours, of course, uses female pronouns since we knew Verity was a girl. I've contacted Adam to see if we can make this happen. I even received an offer from one of the moms to translate the text into Spanish!

As was mentioned several times, the available literature for families in these situations is extremely limited. Would you join me in praying about getting this published on a wider scale so we can bless and encourage even more families?

Assessments

RESPIRATORY SUPPORT
After Verity was born, of course the next thing to determine was what exactly her immediate needs were and what could be determined about her future needs. Clearly she had to have respiratory support, but we were thrilled when the CPAP and mask were removed within the first 24 hours and she moved to room oxygen through a nasal cannula. Even more astonishing was seeing her come off oxygen altogether on Day 5 and having her do so well; we are now on Day 6 and she hasn't had to go back on it!

Apnea is a huge issue with Trisomy babies. I asked the doctor about an apnea study, and she said they rarely do actual studies, but the monitors themselves are apnea studies--and nothing in all of Verity's monitoring has indicated any problems with apnea. I am encouraged every time I look at her monitors and see such regularity--perfect little heartbeat, high oxygen sats, rhythmic breathing...this changes when she's mad, lol, but even hearing her lusty cries makes me smile instead of panic. The nurses all know when Verity needs attention!!

FEEDINGS
Next: feedings. We figured she would need help eating, as almost all Trisomy babies do. She got an IV right away, followed by gavage feedings (through a tube, first in her mouth and later through her nostril--she did NOT like THAT process!). We were given a bottle of donor milk for her use, but after that was finished (a few days in), we did have to start using formula to supplement my own supply. But thankfully it shouldn't take too long before she is solely getting her nourishment from my breastmilk. The IV supplements stopped on day 2, and as with the oxygen, she didn't go back! Feeding amounts have steadily increased, and she has tolerated it all very well. She has no problems eliminating and really, really hates pooping and being in a dirty diaper! She lets us know when she's having a BM and clearly expects us to do something about it!

The last couple of days we have seen her respond to the breast, enough that my nurse today would really like to help us move toward breastfeeding first with gavage feedings afterward. I am hopeful but find it hard to be as optimistic as she is...still, Verity has defied all kinds of odds so far, so who knows?! She has latched and sucked several times during several different attempts, so while we haven't had any sustained suck-and-swallow action, all indicators are there that she CAN do this. (And for the record, she loves sucking on a pacifier!)

We have not done an official swallow evaluation; things look good, but I plan to ask if there are other more official things we can do in this area to give us the best possible chance of successful feedings.

BRAIN SCAN
We had requested in our birth plan to have a brain scan done, and that was in fact accomplished right away. Everything looked fantastic!

HEART ISSUES
We had also requested an echocardiogram, even though careful examination of her heart during the prime viewing period of my pregnancy indicated that she had no heart issues. It wasn't terribly surprising but was still rather discouraging to learn that there are, in fact, heart issues. Verity has 3 VSDs, basically 3 holes in her heart. Two of them are small and may very well resolve on their own; they are not concerning. The third, however, will require surgery before she turns one year old. This is very, very common for our Trisomy babies, and the fact that Verity has already proven to be a strong, healthy little girl bodes well for her surviving surgery. We were extremely encouraged when her heart did not show signs of distress when her oxygen was removed. While surgery isn't something in the immediate future, it could very well be a procedure that needs to happen before the military moves us in July. We would appreciate prayers for guidance in this area and that we get matched with the right team of specialists. We will be meeting with cardiologists tomorrow; so far we have only discussed this with Verity's NICU doctor (whom I absolutely ADORE) and the geneticist.

GENETICS
All of Verity's positive (and fast) progress is making us wonder if perhaps the amnio results gave us an incorrect diagnosis: perhaps, instead of full Trisomy 18, Verity may actually be partial or mosaic Trisomy 18. It is worth investigating, and if our insurance would pay for it, we would like to have her tested simply because it would help us adjust our expectations and allow us to do more research and investigating since we have focused our efforts on learning about FT18 and haven't read as much about PT18 or mosaic. Here are the differences according to www.Trisomy18.org:

Types of Trisomy 18:

• Full Trisomy 18: The most common type of Trisomy 18 (occurring in about 95% of all cases) is full Trisomy. With full Trisomy, the extra chromosome occurs in every cell in the baby’s body. This type of trisomy is not hereditary. It is not due to anything the parents did or did not do—either before or during pregnancy.
• Partial Trisomy 18: Partial trisomies are very rare.  They occur when only part of an extra chromosome is present. Some partial Trisomy 18 syndromes may be caused by hereditary factors. Very rarely, a piece of chromosome 18 becomes attached to another chromosome before or after conception. Affected people have two copies of chromosome 18, plus a “partial” piece of extra material from chromosome 18.
• Mosaic Trisomy 18: Mosaic trisomy is also very rare. It occurs when the extra chromosome is present in some (but not all) of the cells of the body.  Like full Trisomy 18, mosaic Trisomy is not inherited and is a random occurrence that takes place during cell division.

Regardless of whether Verity has full, partial, or mosaic Trisomy 18, as you can tell, we are all pretty smitten!! We love that so many people around the world are praying for Verity. I hope you will do some searching to find other Trisomy families and read about their stories as well. Many of them have become friends of ours during this journey, and I am in awe of each precious life as well as the support and love shown through parents, siblings, and the villages rallying around these precious gifts.

Verity's Arrival

February 27 (big sister Kenna's 10th birthday) passed fairly uneventfully...aside from the fact that I had contractions pretty much all day long! Since this had become more common in the previous week or two, I wasn't sure what to make of it, although the contractions were definitely noticeable and more uncomfortable. Many people had prayed on Kenna's behalf that she would not have to share her birthday (she herself was adamant about this), and while I was fairly sure the Lord would grant this request, I did wonder, especially as the evening got underway and it got harder and harder to rest!

Our attempt at a normal bedtime was short-lived. Ted got maybe an hour and a half of sleep before I woke him up and asked him to please wake the girls and Grandma. Our photographer prepared to meet us at the hospital, and I finished packing. (I must say, in retrospect, I did a rather horrible job of packing this time! Ah, well, the important things were included...who needs shampoo anyway?!)

Kenna has no recollection of the two separate conversations she had with her dad about us leaving for the hospital...so...she did not attend Verity's birth after all. Charis, Rhonda, Ted, and I prayed together in the kitchen before we left the house, with Grandma staying behind to hold down the fort. Tobin had awakened during the commotion and hugged us goodbye, but no one else knew we were leaving.

We arrived at the L&D ward at 1am. I was so nervous that we would find out this was a false alarm after all--despite having some pretty painful contractions at home, hardly anything happened during the drive, and the contractions I did have after leaving the house were really not very intense. But I had felt it was time to go, even though there didn't seem to be a clear sign like I had prayed for. Turns out the mama instinct was correct; I was dilated 6cm when we arrived, with my water bag bulging out but still intact.

It was so surreal actually being in labor after waiting and wondering for what seemed like an eternity. The fact that it happened in the middle of the night only added to the dream-like quality of the whole experience. Still, I appreciated the calm and the quiet: peace. Overwhelming peace.

As per my birth plan, we requested an epidural so that in case something happened and Verity ended up in distress, I would be alert for an emergency C-section. We waited what seemed like a very long time for the epidural; it may have been around 2:30am or even 3:00 before it was in. I was afraid that things would progress too fast and it would get to be too late to get one! Thankfully the contractions were so minimally uncomfortable; honestly, it was the easiest labor I've had, other than I was just so tired from being awake all day.

After the epidural was in place, my contractions seemed to slow down. In fact, Ted had time to take a little nap in the rocking chair! It seemed strange to feel so good during labor! The epidural helped, to be sure, but the contractions hadn't been unbearable even before that. The main annoyance, if you will, was that my body would shake uncontrollably during each contraction, even though I wasn't yet transitioning. During this lull, I enjoyed visiting with my nurse and my photographer friend (herself a homeschooling mama of seven beautiful kiddos). Charis calmly worked on a crocheting project. The nurse mentioned that they were wanting to start pitocin, but I asked if we could first break my waters since that has often led to a speedy delivery in the past. Everyone agreed, and so that was the plan of action.

One of the blessings and answers to my prayers for Verity's delivery was that my favorite doctor, Dr. T who had been so proactive on our behalf, was on duty that night. Along with two residents, he was there during the last hour leading up to Verity's delivery. When he checked Verity's position, all of a sudden I felt as if we had entered a twilight zone: no longer was Verity head down, after weeks and weeks of always presenting herself in that position. We all agreed that a vaginal breech delivery was entirely possible; however, a quick ultrasound confirmed that she was actually transverse. Before I could blink, I was being tilted backward with MY head down! And hands were maneuvering my belly as the doctors worked to manually flip Verity into position. My sweet nurse reminded me that God was with us there, which snapped me back to reality a bit, and I began quoting Scripture aloud, any passage that came to mind, hearing her at my shoulder agreeing with my words, which were whispered prayers to keep me from panicking. [I'll list the passages at the end of this post--at least the ones I remember murmuring at the time--in case anyone is interested in reading them. :-) ]

The maneuvering worked, and Dr. T continued with his hands planted firmly on my abdomen to prevent Verity from moving again while my waters were broken. At this point I was at 8 cm, not completely dilated as was originally thought; the bag had bulged through and stretched the cervix to make it seem like I was complete. Verity's station was still fairly high, so we needed some contractions to bring her down and finish dilation. But contractions had pretty much stopped. So they upped my pitocin and sat me more upright to make use of gravity.

For a few minutes, nothing happened, so the doctors stepped out of the room to check on another laboring woman, and after another few minutes, my nurse decided to step out as well, telling me to ring if anything happened. No sooner had she left the room when I felt an enormous wave of a contraction with immediate pressure, so I rang that bell and she hurried back inside! We were ready to have a baby!

Easiest delivery ever from that point on: I pushed carefully a little at a time and there she was, all beautiful and dark-haired and perfect. I got to cuddle her on my chest for a few precious minutes while time stood still and I wept tears of joy unlike any I've shed over my other babies--and I've cried at seeing each precious face, because the miracle of life is something we never get over, nor should we. I watched Ted cut the cord and regretfully agreed after a short while that she needed to go; even love-filled eyes couldn't deny seeing that she was turning gray.

The NICU team was wonderful, and Ted, Charis, and Melissa (our photographer) accompanied Verity from that point. Perhaps I'll ask Charis to write a post about what happened from that point, because my experience was pretty generic post-partum, and who wants to read about that! Verity is the star of this story! But for my mama friends who care about such things, the only difficulty my body had in the aftermath of this particular birth is that my lower abdomen muscles ached in a different way than I've ever felt before, and this puzzled me until the doc reminded me the next morning, "Well, we did turn your baby!" Oh, yes! That did require quite a bit of activity that I wasn't used to, lol.

So, that is the story of Verity Irene's birth, fittingly occurring the same day as the Rare Disease Day that was happening on Capitol Hill.

Welcome, Verity Irene...

Born February 28, 2017, 04:05am

40 weeks, 3 days

5 pounds, 3 ounces, 18 inches long

My labor & delivery verses...in a variety of versions used in my memory efforts over the years:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3, ESV

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10, NIV

Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee, when thou passest through the fire, thou shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One. Isaiah 43:1-3, KJV

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23, KJV